01Start with your real volume
Take your bookings for a typical month, multiplied by your average booking value. Leave out deposits and tax, because a fair platform doesn’t charge commission on either. That figure, your monthly booking value, is the only number you need.
02Work out the break-even
Monthly cost = subscription + (commission rate × monthly booking value). Two plans cost the same when the difference in subscription equals the difference in commission. Above that point, the plan with the higher fee and lower commission is cheaper.
Using RideLoop’s public prices as a worked example:
- Free (£0, 15%) and Starter (£59, 3.5%) cost the same at about £513 of bookings a month. Above that, Starter is cheaper.
- Starter and Growth (£169, 3%) meet at £22,000 a month.
- Growth and Enterprise (from £499, 2%) meet at £33,000 a month.
03Check what the commission applies to
- Is it charged on deposits, damage claims or tax?
- Is it refunded when you refund a booking?
- Is it charged again on a booking you change?
Rule of thumb
A lower headline rate on a bigger base can cost more than a higher rate on the booking alone.
04Don’t forget card fees
Card processing fees are charged by the payment provider on every platform, so they cancel out in a comparison. Leave them out of both sides rather than counting them on one.
A five-minute check
Do you know your monthly booking value, without deposits and tax?
Have you worked out the break-even between the plans you’re considering?
Is commission refunded with refunds?
Is it charged on deposits or tax?
Will you move plans as you grow?
How RideLoop handles it
RideLoop’s commission is taken at the point of sale, refunded alongside any refund, reversed on a lost chargeback, and never charged on deposits or tax. Every plan is the whole platform, so moving up a plan as you grow is about price, not unlocking basics.
See RideLoop pricing →
Maria Ines Vasconcelos
Co-founder, COO and CFO, Motacycles Ltd
Maria runs operations and finance at Motacycles and RideLoop: the numbers, the processes and the day-to-day running of the business. More about the team